A philosophical and narrative memoir, Ecology and Experience is a thoughtful, engaging recounting of author Richard J. Borden's life entwined in an overview of the intellectual and institutional history of human ecology-a story of life wrapped in a life story.
RICHARD J. BORDEN holds the Rachel Carson Chair in Human Ecology at College of the Atlantic, where he teaches. An editor and coauthor of numerous books and articles, Borden has been a United States Information Agency academic specialist and consultant in the area of human ecology, and has served as an advisor to human ecology programs in China, Russia, Europe, and North and South America. The author lives in Bar Harbor, Maine.
"Ecology and Experience brings the field of human ecology
and its essential ideas to life through the personal voice of a
major figure in the field. The result is much more engaging than a
textbook and more complete."-Louise Chawla, professor of
environmental design, University of Colorado at Boulder and author
of In the First Country of Places: Nature, Poetry and Childhood
Memory
"Interdependence was the word Rene Dubos, an early trustee of
College of the Atlantic, used to summarize the meaning of human
ecology. Richard Borden's Ecology and Experience draws
across a broad range of academic disciplines and personal
experiences to illustrate with great clarity the many aspects of
interdependence."-Edward G. Kaelber, founding president of College
of the Atlantic
"Richard Borden played an important role in the Ecological Society
of America by leading the establishment of a human ecology section
that focuses on the relationship between humans and their
environment. His book continues his life-long commitment to expand
our understanding and appreciation of this relationship."
-Katherine McCarter, executive director of the Ecological Society
of America (ESA)
"If we want to learn how to think of life on a limited planet this
is the book to read and absorb. Rich's wide range of experience and
thoughts about the beauty of the blend of humans and the natural
world will help us develop our own thinking -and maybe make us all
into human ecologists. As Rich says: We are surrounded by the deep
experience of life everywhere we go. If we can discover ways to be
in touch with it, and allow it to touch us, this world will be a
better place."
-Eva Ekehorn, trustee, Commonwealth Human Ecology Council (CHEC),
UK
"Rich takes us on an amazing journey across time, space, and even
mind, which makes us realize the existence of a tacit but strong
keynote of the earth-ecology."
-Chiho Watanabe, professor and head, Department of Human Ecology,
University of Tokyo
"If you are at all interested in human ecology, the intersection of
mind, nature, and higher education, you must read this
indispensable, accessible, wonderful book. Borden respects and
understands the rigor of disciplinary research, but reaches beyond
its findings and questions to ones that lurk beyond the stream of
the analytic mind. In this intellectual tour-de-force, an ultimate
magnum opus, Borden offers ways to think and feel the world and
ourselves whole, anew."
-Gene Myers, professor, Huxley College of the Environment, Western
Washington University, author of Children and Animals, and
coauthor Conservation Psychology
"Ecology and Experience is a compelling, inviting, and wise
book. Richard Borden seamlessly blends intellectual biography and
memoir with the dynamic challenge of our time-how to lead an
ecologically sound life in a world of daunting change. The book is
a conceptual masterpiece, covering an extraordinary range of ideas
and concepts, all ultimately connected to human ecology and
educational leadership. Whether Borden describes his childhood
experiences, his intellectual maturation and development, his
pioneering work as an academic dean, or his tireless efforts on
behalf of human ecology, his stories and explanations are riveting,
insightful, and rewarding. By uncovering the connecting threads of
his own life, he helps us understand what matters most to many of
us-living a rich and meaningful intellectual life."
-Mitchell Thomashow, author of Ecological Identity and Bringing the
Biosphere Home
"Professor Borden's book is human ecology. I don't mean it's about
human ecology-it is human ecology. It is an essential
read..."
-David Hales, president, Second Nature
"In Ecology and Experience Richard Borden addresses two
fundamental and interlinked questions: "What makes life possible?"
and "What makes life worth living?" The result is a unique inquiry,
revealing both the development of Rich's quest to understand these
questions and inviting the reader to reflect on his own learning
experience and future pathways. Such challenges are necessary for
us all if we are to collectively create humane, worthwhile and
sustainable futures within which we can flourish."
-Robert Dyball, convener, Human Ecology program, Fenner School of
the Environment, Australian National University, president, Society
for Human Ecology, coauthor of Understanding Human
Ecology
"This absorbing book is a multi-faceted gem that reveals a
different aspect of life and humanity with the turning of every
page. Fascinating, innovative, insightful, and inspiring, this book
shows how important it is to think laterally about the ways we look
at the world, the ways we convey our understanding of the world to
others, and the way we teach and learn about ourselves, society,
our relationships with others, with other living things, and with
the landscapes and oceans of this blue planet."
-Ian Douglas, emeritus professor, School of Environment and
Development, University of Manchester, UK, president, International
Council for Ecopolis Development, and author of Cities: An
Environmental History
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